The present invention relates generally to position, distance measuring, navigation, information and communication systems for use in the playing of golf courses (referred to generally herein from time to time herein as a golf course information system), and more particularly to a method and system that allows a golfer to elect to use or not to use an available golf course information system in play of a course.
Amateur golfers generally excel on courses with which they are familiar. The golfer usually seeks to gain some familiarity with the layout of the holes to be played on a new or unfamiliar course before starting play. This enables the golfer to know at each tee shot, for example, whether the particular hole is a ‘dog leg left’, a ‘dog leg right’, or straight, as well as the location of hazards, such as sand traps, bunkers, and water traps, and the locations of range postings useful for calculating yardage from the ball's “lie” to the front and rear of the green, the pin (cup), a hazard, or a desired lay up position for an approach shot.
In recent years, the traditional booklet that sets out the course layout and feature information for the course being played, typically available at the course pro shop for just such use by the golfer, has been supplanted by automatic yardage measurement systems that use global positioning (GPS), dead reckoning, or other known navigation systems to provide the golfer with location and distance information for the golf cart relative to the cup and other features of the hole being played, on a display in the cart. Exemplary are PROLINK™ and ACUTRAK™ golf course information systems of ProLink, Inc. (PROLINK and ACUTRAK are trademarks of ProLink, Inc.), of Tempe, Ariz., the assignee of the present application. These systems provide, in addition to cart navigation information, and among other things, an efficient communications network for data transmission between a base station operated by the course administrator and carts on the course, high resolution color graphic displays on board the carts and at the base station to give the players selective views of each hole and portions thereof being played including location of salient features such as tee boxes, green, cup, fairway, rough, and hazards, and distances from current location of the cart. The systems detect the presence of the cart within a predetermined zone or region of the course to automatically activate display of the current hole on the cart monitor, as well as to measure pace of play for each hole, and provide automatic pop-up golf tips and advertisements on the cart monitor as the cart transitions from zone to zone or from one hole to the next.
Each roving unit—typically a golf cart but alternatively a hand-held or other unit of the system—uses the navigation technology embedded in the system and other enhancements to display a map of the overall or selected portion of the golf course, with an icon that represents the real-time position of the roving unit superimposed on the map of the hole being played, on the cart monitor. By moving a cursor on the screen to a feature of interest, the golfer can observe on the display the numerical distance from the current position of the cart to the designated feature, as well as the hole layout and hazards affecting play. This enables the golfer to make consistently better and faster club selection and other strategic and tactical decisions in play of the hole than would be the case without the availability of such a system.
These information systems may also provide a capability to collect and distribute scoring information; a feature which allows the golfer to obtain information regarding the scores of other golfers with or against whom the golfer is playing, while in actual play of the round. This knowledge can provide the golfer with the same experience during play as a tour professional, in that respect.
Such information systems may also provide a capability of connectivity to outside communications networks, such as the Internet, through their existing communications interface. Access to the information available from such networks is of significant interest to a number of golfers. Capability to receive electronic mail (e-mail), sporting event scores, or stock quotations, for example, are indicative of content that is or will be available to the golfer through these systems as they mature.
The course management portion of the PROLINK and ACUTRAK golf course information systems includes a base station computer unit, receiver/transmitter unit and display monitor in the clubhouse, typically in the pro shop. The base station setup gives the course administrator better insight into daily operations and revenues through identification and monitoring play of every cart on the course in real-time. The information and system capabilities available at the base station enables the administrator to pinpoint and analyze the cause of bottlenecks on the course; to compile an extensive computerized data base useful for statistical analysis of course operations and instituting improvements; to communicate with all carts on the course, and to enhance course revenues through advertising delivered to the cart monitors.
Typically, the cart-based golf course information system is offered to players at the time of sign-up at the course club house, as an option available at extra cost for the round being played. For golfers who may be totally unfamiliar, or not completely familiar, with the system, or who are being offered an entirely new or improved system, it would be desirable to have an opportunity to play a hole or two before requiring a decision on whether the advantages of the system are worth its cost to play the entire round with the cart-based system. Prior to the present invention, the player had to make an election before starting play so that the added cost of use of the golf information system could be imposed at the outset. If the player elected not to use the system, a cart would be assigned whose system graphics or display was made inactive.
It is a principal objective of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus which gives the player a reasonable but limited opportunity to evaluate a cart-based golf course information system during play of the course, and to make an election by a specified point in play of the round on whether or not to continue using the system to complete the round.